How comfortable are you with being uncomfortable? I know this may seem like a paradoxical question, but it's not. In fact, my wife, Michelle, and I recently attended a workshop that emphasized the importance of being uncomfortable in order to expand our growth, success and fulfillment.

I've been taking some real inventory of my own life and looking at how willing (or unwilling) I am to be uncomfortable myself. I notice that in certain areas of my life I'm quite willing to be uncomfortable, but not so much in others.

There seems to be a direct relationship between my willingness to be uncomfortable and how much excitement, creativity and abundance I experience in a particular area of my life (both now and in the past). In other words, the more willing I am to be uncomfortable, the more I find myself growing, accomplishing and transforming. On the flip side, the less willing I am to be uncomfortable, the more stress, resignation and suffering I experience.

Your ego is highly trained at keeping you "safe" and making sure you avoid any and all "risks." However, it's difficult (if not impossible) for you to take your life, your work and your relationships to where you truly want them to be if you're not willing to be uncomfortable in the process.

Being uncomfortable doesn't necessarily mean things have to be overly painful, dramatic or challenging (although sometimes they will be). When you're uncomfortable, it's usually because you're doing or saying something new, you have something important at stake or you're taking an essential risk. These are all beautiful and critical aspects of life and growth. Think of the most important areas of your life, your work and your relationships—I bet there were, and still are, elements of these important things that are uncomfortable for you.